A Memory Remains Just A Tiny Spark
by kreuking
Summary: Bela cheats death to get out of her deal and finds herself having to learn how to live all over again. The second in the Mystic Thief series.


**Title:** A Memory Remains Just A Tiny Spark  
**Fandom(s):** Supernatural/The Vampire Diaries  
**Character(s)/Pairing(s):** Damon/Bela  
**Rating/Warnings:** PG-13; bloodplay, near murder, the usual vampire things.  
**Prompt(s):** au_bingo Crossover; 31_halloween the veil between the living and the dead; 78_tarot Death; 100scents Spark  
**Word count:** 1397  
**Disclaimer:** I don't own either show or the characters from them. If you ever thought I did, you have a much higher opinion of me than I do. Stop it.  
**Summary:** Bela cheats death to get out of her deal and finds herself having to learn how to live all over again.  
**Notes:** The sequel to I Want To Break Your Heart And Give You Mine, and the _official_ ushering in of a series I'm calling Mystic Thief. Original, I know. Thanks to my beta forever, lovedbythesun at livejournal. Title from Let The Flames Begin by Paramore.

First, there were hellhounds, nothing but hellhounds that she ran from and darkness that she ran through and the sound of her heart pounding from what seemed to be all around her. No matter how far she ran or how fast, they got closer and closer until they had her by the trousers. They dragged her deeper into the dark until she was in the pit, bound with chains and surrounded by demons. One of them weaved through the pack, armed with the most terrifying weapon she'd ever seen, grin like a Cheshire cat spread across its twisted face.

Then she felt a tug from deep inside her middle as she was lifted from that place of fear into something completely different. A string quartet was playing from some unknown place in a room full of people dressed to impress. She saw a form she recognized weaving through the crowd, much like the demon, but the only thing this man was armed was a sharp wit—if one didn't count his teeth.

Damon bent just a bit at the waist and held out his his hand. "May I have this dance?"

She smiled up at him. "I thought you'd never ask."

As he held her close, she couldn't help but wonder if what this was. She was positive she hadn't imagined the hellhounds or the demons or the pit itself, but this rosy scene was certainly not reality as she knew it. A very vivid dream? Part of the turning process, perhaps? One guess was a good as another.

"We haven't done this in a long time," he mumbled into her hair.

"I've been busy."

"So have I."

She looked up at him. "Seems I'll be having much more time on my hands."

"Then we should do this more often," he said with a grin, and despite herself, she found she was grinning back.

Bela slowly made the transition back to the real world. The first to consciously register was the soft brush of fingertips against her face. The sensation seemed so much different than before, like electricity that danced on her skin. Immediately her eyes popped open and she grabbed the wrist of the man who touched her, swiftly pulling him down and pinning him to the formerly empty space beside her.

"Touch me again and I'll make you regret it." It wasn't the cold sort of threat she would normal give in a situation like this; it was sharp and heated. If she wasn't consumed with thoughts of ripping his head from his body, she might have been embarrassed by her outburst.

Damon didn't seem at all bothered by her reaction; if anything, he was amused. "Not a morning person. I'll make a note." Tossing her back to the other side of the bed, he made himself comfortable, curling his arms around the pillow under him and staring into her eyes intently. "So. What were you dreaming about?"

Her eyebrows lifted just a bit. "Is this a slumber party now? I didn't realize you were secretly a teenage girl in that cold, vampire heart of yours."

"What can I say, you bring it out in me. By the way, I brought breakfast. And since I know how _snooty_ you can be, I made sure to get someone rich."

Bela rolled her eyes and carefully pushed herself into sitting position and glanced around until her eyes landed on a privileged looking blonde helping herself to her own meal as if they weren't even there. Her gaze shifted back to Damon. "You _can't_ be serious."

"Not her. She's for me. Yours decided he needed a little _preening_ before being eaten by such a beautiful woman."

"You know you're not half as charming as you think you are."

"And yet you still hold a certain fondness for me." She answered his smugness with a forced grin. "Now let's get some blood in you," he said as he pushed himself up and out of bed. "No point in staying in transition longer than you have to be."

She stood to follow. "Transition?"

He turned back to her on his way to retrieve who he brought for her, looking just a little confused. "You don't know about transition?"

She scoffed at him, almost laughing. "How am I supposed to know? You're the only vampire I know personally, at least that I'm aware of. What I don't know from you I know from hunter. They get their information from legend and experience, and I doubt they let their prey live long enough to get the little nuances of vampiric life. If one could call it that."

"You have to drink to complete the transition. It _has_ to be human blood, and if you don't, it won't be long before you're dead."

She was silent for moment. "Oh. Well, then. Let's eat"

As soon as the skin was broken, Bela's nostrils filled with what had to be the sweetest, most intoxicating smell she'd ever experienced. All she saw was the red that dripped down the neck of the nameless man in front of her as she slowly approached. The first few gulps were just as slow and absolutely _divine_. The more she drank, the more she wanted and the more greedily she went about it. Before she knew what was going on, Damon had pulled her away, much to her surprise.

"Let go," she said as she struggled against him.

Within seconds he had her pinned against a wall. "You need to _control_ yourself before you kill him."

She rolled her eyes, still trying to jerk away. "Oh like you've never killed anyone."

"There's a time and a place. A hotel room in the middle of the day is _neither_. Now, I'm going to let you go, and I _expect_ you to stay put."

"But I'm still hungry!"

Damon grimaced a bit. "No, you're a glutton." He gave her a pointed look. "Stay." He then released her from the wall and turned his attention to the other two. "He had a little accident," he told the girl. "Might wanna get him some medical attention." She nodded and took his arm, leading him out the door.

"And here I thought you were the fun one."

He gave Bela a look. "I _am_ the fun one. I'm also the smart one who's trying to keep you out of trouble while you adjust. Everything about you just went into overdrive. You're going to have some problems with impulse control." He reached to wipe a little blood from her chin with his thumb. As soon as he pulled back his hand, she leaned forward to suck it off, bringing a grin to his face. "Like that."

She averted her eyes downward and pressed her lips together. "That wasn't supposed to happen."

"Look, it's all over your face," he mumbled before his fingers grazed her chin again, pulling them back quicker than she could react. He cleaned them just as she had before, but left just a small amount on his lips, purposely, she surmised. Despite herself, she felt herself drawn closer.

"You know your mother chose the perfect name for you," she said quietly. "Damon being so close to demon."

He paused, gazing down at her thoughtfully and threading his hands through her hair. "Usually I'd take that as a compliment."

Her eyes shifted to his. "And this time?"

He shook his head. "It's different."

She swallowed and averted her eyes again, back to the bit of blood that still hung on his lips. Resisting was difficult, but this was beginning to get a little too intimate for her tastes. "So. How does one control the urges that come with being a vampire?"

Damon took the hint and let go of her, licking his lips as he did so. "There are things that help; alcohol, food—the human kind. But you? What you need is a hunt."

"A hunt? Really?"

"Like I said, there's a time and place to kill. As soon as the sun goes down, I'll show you when and where."

"And until then?"

"Until then we celebrate your new life. We drink, we dance—" He took one of her hands and lifted it to his lips. "Just like old times."

She grinned at the gesture. No, he wasn't half as charming as he thought, but perhaps he was a third. "Sounds like fun."


End file.
